US carrier Delta has today restarted a daily Heathrow-New York JFK service, two months after it resumed flights between London and Atlanta.
It says it is the only airline offering non-stop UK-US services that is keeping middle seats blocked because of Covid-19 hygiene measures. The carrier is capping capacity throughout the aircraft on all routes until September 30.
Seat blocks are automatically implemented to prevent the adjacent seat being booked once a reservation is complete and seats are chosen. Parties of three or more can book seats together, including middle seats.
Roberto Ioriatti, Delta’s transatlantic vice-president, said: “As we add more routes between London and the US, we’re continuing to limit the number of people per aircraft. We are also offering additional flexibility with tickets so customers have extra peace of mind should they need it.”
The airline also has enhanced booking flexibility in place on flights purchased until August 31, 2020, should clients need to amend their plans.
Hygiene measures include sanitising of aircraft before every flight; air filters that extract more than 99.99% of particles, including viruses and bacteria; and boarding flights from back to front so customers don’t need to pass by one another.